Video Killed the Heroine's Heart
by tie-dye-flag
Summary: While at a sleepover playing a dancing game, a certain song reminds a teenage girl of a monster very dear to her heart...and her emotions get the better of her while in front of her friends. (post tpoh au)


**Obviously I do not own tpoh nor the characters.**

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The typical recipe for a sleepover consists of half a dozen teenagers, a truckload of junk food, too many mismatched pyjamas, and for a little extra flavor, a gaming console with games. Coincidentally, all of these ingredients were present under the roof of an apartment in Manchester. One of the guests, a girl with brown hair and caramel skin, rummaged with the games lined up on the nearby shelf.

"Which one is it again?" She called to the hostess, who crouched in front of the Wii.

"Just Dance 3! Should be near the left I think…"

"Okay...ha! Found it!" With a triumphant grin, the girl pulled out the game with the bold letters JUST DANCE 3 printed loudly on the cover. Surrounding the title were the names of popular American songs, and when she flipped to the back, found a much, much longer list of songs.

"Are we gonna dance to _all_ of them?" Another guest asked who glanced over the girl's shoulder.

"Why not?" The hostess laughed. "That way I can get you addicted to my bad taste in music!"

"Aw, I'm sure not all of them are bad."

"Well, one way to find out!" The brunette slipped the disc inside the Wii. As the console hummed, the girls readied their Wii remotes, securing the wrist straps on their arms.

For the next hour, hot licks and catchy beats echoed through the home, surprisingly not disturbing any neighbors. From modern tunes to golden oldies, the girls laughed as they clumsily copied the dancers on the screen in the cramped living room.

And then it was the hostess's turn to pick a song. Flipping through the icons on the screen, she stopped on one that made the darker skinned girl freeze. The icon showed a figure in a saturated green blazer, neon pink shirt, and bright white tie with a TV for a head, broadcasting a smiley face. The highlighted words _Video Killed the Radio Star_ floated below the eccentric dancer as a sample of the song played.

"This one sounds kinda catchy!"

"Yeah, and check out that dancer! Haha, that's a cool look!"

"Let's do this one!"

"Yeah!"

All the other girls cheered with excitement except for one, who merely stood in silence, staring at the figure on the screen. Before she knew it, the hostess pressed the button, selecting the song. Everyone got into their positions, even the now quiet girl.

As the piano began the song, the TV headed dancer appeared from behind a stack of pink TV sets, tip toeing to the foreground. As he spread his arms dramatically in time to the beat, the girls copied his motions. Only one girl's dancing lacked energy; instead she danced mechanically, observing the cartoon background of a rainbow, radio towers, and more TV stacks. Throughout the song, the man's screen would change, from a test pattern, static, to other dances of the game. The cheerful singing matched the silly dancer and his moves...but did not entice similar feelings in the girl. She gradually stopped moving, staring blankly at the dancer, transfixed. And did we mention she stood at the front of the rest of the guests?

Slowly the other five girls stopped dancing, taking notice of the girl's lack of movement. One of the guest called her name. She did not budge. The same guest touched her shoulder and looked at her stone stiff face.

"Hey...are you okay…?"

As the song ended and the TV dancer scurried back behind the TV stack it came from, the girl dropped her Wii remote, letting it dangle from the wrist strap.

"What's wrong?" The hostess asked as she walked to the front with arched eyebrows.

Sniffling, the brunette felt a tear run down her face. Then the hiccups came, bringing more tears with it. As the rest of the girls crowded around her in concern, she fell to her knees and cried into her hands.

The girls sat around her, comforting her the best they could. One grabbed a box of tissues, another put the Wii remotes away, and the hostess turned off the gaming console. After shedding two gallons of tears, the girl took a deep breath and plastered a fake, embarrassed smile on her face.

"S-sorry 'bout that guys…"

"No no, _I_ should be the one apologizing!" The hostess cried, waving her hands in front of her pale face. "I would have never picked that song if I knew-"

"I-it wasn't that…"

"W-what…?"

She sniffed. "It wasn't the song...The...the dancer...from that song...h-he reminded me of someone…c-close to me..."

"O-oh...are...you two still close?"

She nodded. "N-no... _sniff_...he...he's...n-not around anymore…" The girl hiccuped some more, feeling her friends rub her back soothingly.

"I'm so sorry…I'm so, so sorry…" The hostess murmured as she hugged her crying guest, feeling guilty for causing this much grief.

"It's alright, you didn't know…" Wiping her face dry, the girl looked up to her friend.

"...why don't we call it a night and go to bed?" The hostess suggested, followed by the other girls murmuring in agreement. They walked to the bedroom, full of sleeping bags littered on the floor. As the brunette crawled into her sleeping bag, her friends offered their stuffed animals, extra pillows, anything they could think of to comfort their friend. She politely declined and reassured them of her well being. Soon after the lights went dark, and everyone settled into their colorful sleeping bags.

Except for the one girl. Instead of drifting to sleep, she held a plush toy resembling a green sock puppet close to her chest, pulled the cover over her head, and quietly cried inside the sleeping bag.

"R...RG...RGB... _sniff_ …"

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 **AN: I have the game. I have the RGB cosplay. I have to record myself dancing to that song while in my cosplay someday. If only I could figure out how to a) record myself dancing to it with my phone and b) keep my TV head one while I dance; that thing is fairly loose on my head ^^;**

 **So...I don't consider this a songfic, but for those wondering the song referenced is "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles!**


End file.
